36

The Fall

The next morning was rainy and windy.

"Hey, look! There's a new sign!" Someone shouted as they entered the store.

There were seven men in front of the display window, all talking to each other loudly. The first one to walk up to the counter was a tall blond boy whose height rivaled Alexander's. As soon as he reached the counter, he slammed his hand down and ordered a pack of cigarettes and two packs of beer. He paid, then he walked away without a single word.

The other five men followed behind him, each ordering the same thing, but they seemed to do it rather quickly. One minute later, they were sitting at the counter sipping on their beers and smoking.

"Hey, do you want any of these?" The short blond man asked, pointing to the packs of cigarettes. He handed a cigarette to Alexander and lit it for him.

"No thanks." Alexander declined.

"Come on, it'll be fun." The short blond chuckled. "We'll smoke and drink and everything."

"No thanks." Alexander repeated firmly, ignoring the offer.

"Aw man!" The short blond complained and leaned over the counter.

Suddenly, a girl ran past the men and jumped over the counter. She landed right next to Alexander and grabbed his hand. Before Alexander could say anything, she dragged him away from the counter.

"Hey, wait! I don't want to get kicked out!" The short blond exclaimed angrily.

"Don't worry," the girl said. "I'll protect you."

"Alright!" The blond huffed in annoyance as he stood up and stomped out of the store.

The other six men watched him leave angrily. They glared at the girl who pulled Alexander away from the group and then walked towards the table in the corner of the store.

"Who was that?" A tall man asked with disdain in his voice.

"His name is David. Don't pay attention to him. Just buy your stuff." The woman sitting across from the men replied.

David ignored her and walked towards Alexander.

"Hey, kid. You want to join us?" David sneered.

"I don't want to." Alexander refused flatly.

"Then why are you standing there like an idiot?" David frowned.

"It's raining outside." Alexander replied simply.

"You need to learn how to control yourself!" David snapped.

"Why are you shouting at me? I'm only fourteen and I don't really understand what's going on here." Alexander responded coldly.

David growled angrily and punched Alexander straight in the chest.

"Ow!" Alexander yelped as he fell back onto the floor.

"What the hell!?" Alex yelled as he rubbed his sore jaw.

"He insulted me!" David growled and pushed Alexander into the wall. "I will beat you into the ground for disrespecting me!"

As David raised his fist to punch Alexander once more, Alexander instinctively moved away from the attack.

"Hey!" A man exclaimed angrily. "Stop that! What's wrong with you?"

David looked around at the four men, and then he lowered his fist and turned away angrily. Without another word, he stormed out of the store. The remaining three men stared at the door for a while before turning to the other customers in the store.

"Are you alright, dear?" The woman asked as she knelt beside Alexander.

"Y-yeah, it's nothing." Alexander replied. He stood up and brushed himself off. "Sorry about that."

"No problem." The woman shrugged. "So, uh... What can I get you boys?"

Alexander looked at her with wide eyes. The woman smiled gently at him and then turned to the other customers. As they spoke quietly amongst themselves, Alexander glanced around the store. The store was filled with all sorts of objects and items. In one corner of the room, there was a display case filled with books about history. Alexander went closer to it and picked one of them up.

"Are you buying something, sir?" An older man asked as he approached Alexander.

"Yes, please." Alexander nodded. "What's this book about?"

"It's about World War II, sir." The man explained.

"Oh." Alexander nodded, "What was that like?"

"It was very dangerous." The man warned. "Many of our soldiers died on the battlefield. Many others joined the army. They came back and said that they had seen horrible things."

Alexander gulped slightly.

"And yet, no one seems to care about that." Alexander muttered.

The man stared at Alexander for a moment. Then, he suddenly smirked slightly. "You should listen to this book, son."

Alexander stared at the man blankly. "Okay?" He replied slowly.

"Well, you might hear a bit about your father." The man explained.

"Wait, seriously?" Alexander gasped. "Is my father dead?!"

"Sadly yes." The man sighed. "He's gone, now. But there was something else."

"Something else?" Alexander questioned.

"Yes, something else. Your father's death brought his legacy home to him. Not only was he a famous soldier, he also became a hero and became known throughout the entire military." The man continued.

"A hero?" Alexander gasped, stunned.

"Yeah. And he made quite a lot of enemies as well. Some of his best friends were killed during the war. After that, he decided to devote most of his life to studying. He left the military and devoted most of his free time to reading. Eventually, he found a job that would allow him to keep the house and provide money for his family. His wife, however, got old and died of cancer soon afterwards."

"That's awful..." Alexander breathed softly.

"Yeah, that's terrible. Unfortunately, that story didn't help anyone." The man added. "Some people were still angry that your dad's legacy had vanished. They wanted to kill him as revenge. Unfortunately, he died before that could happen. But you see, you're not him. You can never be like him. You won't be able to save your father and you won't be able to make peace with the past."

Alexander stared in shock at the man for a moment, trying to process what he had just heard. He couldn't believe what he had heard. He knew that the man was probably right. Still, hearing him talk like that about his father was almost too much to take. Suddenly, Alexander felt tears spring to his eyes.

"You okay?" The man asked worriedly.

"I just..." Alexander shook his head sadly.

"Take your time, son." The man encouraged.

"Thank you, sir." Alexander whispered. "My name is Alexander."

"Nice to meet you, Alexander." The man nodded.

"Do you have a phone number or email address I can contact you through?" Alexander asked hesitantly.

"Of course." The man nodded and wrote his information on the back of the card. "Call me anytime if you need anything. My name is Matthew by the way."

"Thanks, Matthew. And thank you for telling me your story. I don't think anyone has ever told me that sort of thing before." Alexander replied gratefully.

Matthew smiled and gave Alexander a nod.

"Now run along, son. Go enjoy the rest of your night. Take care."

"Bye, Matthew."

"Bye, son."

Chapter 2

Alexander spent the next two weeks avoiding the shop. Every time someone knocked on the door, he ducked behind the shelf or hid in a small alcove in the corner of the store. Sometimes he stayed hidden for hours, watching from afar as everyone in the store enjoyed themselves in their own world. Other times